[bba]

Hi all,

Having issues with my aircon on my 2012 i30, had the coolant recharged now twice and it seems to be ok for a few weeks to now just barely cooling anything. They never report any pressure issues.

Do you guys have an idea on the common repair costs for the system itself with a dealer vs independent? I don't know if it's a condenser, valve, thermostat, etc but wanted to have an idea

Thanks in advance

[CraigB]

Sounds like a leak somewhere in the system, costs would depend on where it is leaking from

[Shambles]

Let an expert charge your system under a black light - they'll find the leek.

[eye30]

When I had mine regassed, before they did it it was checked for leaks.

None found so regassed.

Did they use the correct gas as my car uses the new gas, think R1234, which is about 3 times more expensive.

[Pnut]

Different car but mine didnt need regassing, turned out to be the expansion valve. However as mentioned the first thing they should do is inspect for leaks, it doesnt usually need regassing for that as if its fresh and have a little gas left in the system there is usually enough residue to do a dye test. They spray some stuff around all the pipes and joints and it changes colour if there is a leak around.

I wouldnt keep regassing until they find something, its $$ wasted and not the best for the environment. If they cant diagnose it then you are at the wrong garage, again a waste of $$.

[bba]

Thanks all, I will get them to check

[BrendanP]

The air-con in my car has stopped working, talking to some garages they do a vacuum test first, and if the system won't hold a vacuum the machine won't allow the system to be re-gassed. The vacuum test isn't perfect though, and can miss leaks. If the system is re-gassed with a dye added, this will show up where it's leaking, then you need to replace the leaking part AND pay to have it re-gassed again. On my old car it was found that the condenser was leaking, it was replaced under warranty but I still had to pay for the re-gassing.